Spaghetti with Garlic Beef Ragu
A rich, slow-simmered beef and tomato sauce with plenty of garlic, tossed with spaghetti and a splash of starchy pasta water so every strand is glossy. Finished with a shower of parmesan.
- Total
- 55 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 45
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Searing · Simmering
- Savory
- Italian
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Finely chop the onion. Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Grate the parmesan. Set everything near the hob.
~10 min
-
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the minced beef in one even layer and cook without stirring for 3 minutes to build a brown crust, then break it up and cook 4 more minutes until no pink remains. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and the black pepper.
~3 min
Cooking the beef undisturbed in one layer lets it brown through the Maillard reaction, building a deep savory crust.
Searing Press the beef into an even layer and leave it untouched for 3 minutes; a brown crust means you waited long enough. Moving it too early steams the meat instead.
-
Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant, not browned. Pour in the canned tomatoes with their juices, add the remaining 1 tsp salt, and simmer uncovered 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the fat pools at the edges.
~31 min
Simmering uncovered evaporates water, concentrating the tomatoes into a thick sauce that clings to pasta.
Simmering Keep the sauce at a lazy bubble, not a rolling boil, and stir occasionally. It is ready when the fat pools at the edges and a spoon trail holds.
-
While step 3 cooks
While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Reserve 250 ml of the starchy cooking water, then drain the pasta.
~9 min
Cooking pasta to al dente keeps it firm so it finishes cooking in the sauce without turning mushy.
-
Add the drained spaghetti and 150 ml of the reserved cooking water to the pan. Toss over medium heat for 2 minutes until the sauce clings to every strand, adding the remaining water a splash at a time if it looks dry.
~2 min
Starchy pasta water emulsifies with the sauce's fat, helping it cling glossily to every strand.
-
Take the pan off the heat. Toss in the grated parmesan and a final pinch of black pepper until the sauce turns glossy and coats the pasta. Serve straight away.
~1 min
Off the heat, parmesan melts without seizing, and its starch and fat emulsify the sauce into a glossy coating.